What a way to spend a birthday!

November 12th saw little ol’ me mingling with the great Steve Olson at Hearth Restaurant in the East Village of Manhattan.  That’s right folks, I drank.  And drank all day long, for that matter.  Now don’t you go home thinking that’s a problem.  I tasted.  We all tasted…and spat, for that matter.  For the most part.

The Jerez Council of Spain presented to some 60 bartenders and industry professionals all that the most southern part of Europe had to offer.  Well, the Sherry part of it anyways.  Not only is sherry made from white grapes (palomino, pedro ximenez, and moscatel), but 75% of those grapes are hand-picked.  Blood, sweat, and tears go into producing sherry.

The two main features that give sherry it’s distinctive characteristics are the flora (special yeast) and the solera aging process (barrels laying one on top of the other, transferring liquid down from one to the next until properly aged).

We sipped through nearly 20 different masterpieces of the fine region of Jerez.  This began at 10am, mind you, with a lunch break at 1, and the remaining portion of the tasting right through 4pm.  We began with Mosto 2009 from Tio Pepe.  The mosto is step one in making sherry.  It’s wild, unfiltered, earthy, and light.

We continued on, eventually arriving at a Lustau Puerto Fino which smelled of baby diapers.  That’s right, baby diapers.  The Williams & Humbert Dry Sack was shockingly tasty.  As the afternoon progressed, the sherries became more dense and fruity.  The Sanchez Romate Iberia Cream (a blend of Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez grapes) tasted of raisins, with a thick and rich texture.

The Williams & Humbert Don Guido Pedro Ximenez VOS was marvelous, with figs and dates being the predominate flavor.  It was quite sweet, but for someone with a sweet tooth like me, perfectly delicious.

I learned a lot. I love sherry. I knew this before, but I have to say that my love has grown deeper for Jerez, as deep as the blue Mediterranean Sea. I love you Jerez. Please allow me to visit you. Steve Olson, if you’re reading this, please, pretty please take me on your next trip there. I’ll be forever grateful.

The day was so inspiring that I’ve decided to put a Sherry Cobbler on the list at the soon-to-be-opened Harmony Restaurant in Harlem. I call it the Central Park Cobbler, and you’ll find the recipe a bit further down.

Andrea Bearbower and John Pomeroy juggling glasses of Sherry

Thank you to Steve Olson and the aka Wine Geek crew. And a special merci goes out to Matt Stinton (fellow USBG member and good pal) for executing an amazing luncheon event with his crew at Hearth.

Sherry, baby…until next we meet…

Central Park Cobbler
1 oz. Williams & Humbert Dry Sack Medium Dry Amontillado Sherry
1 oz. 10 Cane Rum
1/2 oz. Grand Marnier
1/2 oz. Agave nectar
Several blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries
4 basil leaves
Directions: In a mixing glass, muddle the berries, basil, and agave.  Add remaining ingredients and shake very well with ice.  Strain over crushed ice into wine glass.
Garnish: basil leaf and berries

Love Thanksgiving. Love it to turkey bits.

Its been a great year, and I’d like to thank you, loyal reader, for your support and encouragement.

Although time usually gets the better of me, thus resulting in less frequent blog posts and shorter newsletter content, I do promise to keep doing what I’m doing.

So as we enjoy the bountiful food and drink we will surely consume this week, let us think about being thankful, and what that actually means.

Let us also think about those who may not be as fortunate as we.

Our USBG NY chapter just donated to the food bank of NYC (http://www.foodbanknyc.org).   I’m very proud of my bartender-pals: we raised close to $1,000!  Please think about doing the same to your charity of choice.

Cheers,

Jonathan and The Cocktail Guru Team

This comes to me from a dear friend out on the left coast, Debbie Rizzo.  Please read closely hat lovers, cause you’re in for a real treat:

Media Inquiries: 

Debbie Rizzo, Drink PR                                                                                     Debbie@drinkpr.net

GOORIN HATS ANNOUNCES FIRST ANNUAL

BARTENDER APPRECIATION DAY IN SAN FRANCISCO

Goorin Tips Their Hats to Those That Make the Finest Tipples

(San Francisco, CA—October 15, 2009)—Goorin Hat Company, makers of fine quality hats in the bay area since 1895 applaud bartenders nationwide.   As part of an annual and nationwide campaign to support bartenders and industry folks for bringing back the hat, Goorin will continue to host bartender appreciation days at their stores across the U.S.

Where:       Haight Street Store

       1446 Haight Street at Masonic

When:        Sunday, November 1, 2009

                  7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.

What:         Two hours of hat fitting, discounts and giveaways. Industry folks come by for a signature Bols Genever cocktail, a PBR and some nibbles while perusing the fall additions.

All industry folks get 25% day of purchase. For those who can not attend the first in a series of appreciation events across the U.S., please go to www.goorin.com and enter code: BAR1895 for 25% off online purchases October 31 through November 2.   

Please RSVP to: rsvp@goorin.com

About Goorin:

The legacy of Goorin Brothers is one that follows a timeless approach to the art of hat making.  In its fourth generation of leadership Goorin Brothers continues the tradition of authentic family craftsmanship and is supported by a team of individuals who share the same passion for the cultural, artistic and hands on approach to this century old brand.
Goorin offers timeless, classic styles with a unique flare and personality –hats that allow you to make a statement without having to say a word.

Earlier this month I took a week-long trip to an idyllic Caribbean island.  The island I speak of is Antigua, home of 365 beaches (1 for every day of the year), Wadadli Beer, and English Harbour Rum.

Nicole Arthurton is a lovely young woman who teaches culinary classes from her home in the Cedar Valley section of Antigua.  We joined forces for a master class consisting of some of Nicole’s tasty appetizers, and some of my takes on classic Caribbean rum cocktails.

The students chopped, tossed, sliced, shook, and strained the evening away.  We used local ingredients (black pineapples, limes, kaffir lime leaves, passionfruits, mangos, etc.) and enjoyed the view from Nicole’s home.

My hope is that I can return early next year and hold several more of these classes.  Thank you to Nicole, Adam, and all of the students who attended!  You all did splendidly well!

Don’t believe me?  Check out the photos to prove it:

(and please check out Nicole’s website: http://www.nicolestable.com and join her facebook group here.

(ri)1

Pronounced Rye One.

Not R one.

Or Rye to the first power.

Just Rye One.  Plain and simple.

Now that we have that out of the way, check out the photos above from the (ri)1 Nike ID event held at the Nike ID studio on 57th St. in Manhattan a couple of weeks ago…it was sweet.

Boy is this a treat!  I will be on the island of Antigua this week and I’ll be teaching a Caribbean cocktail class.  You can see the full info here:

http://www.nicolestable.com/Appetizers_and_Mixing_Drinks.html

I’ll give you the full low-down afterwards.  In the meantime, please enjoy this special Antiguan cocktail creation:

Dickenson’s Daiquiri

1 1/2 oz. English Harbor 5 yr Rum (from Antigua! – visit their website!)

1/2 oz. Demarara syrup

juice of 1/2 of a lime

1 dash Angostura bitters

Directions: Shake all ingredients very well in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Garnish: orange peel (flamed, optional)

Is expanding…to Boston and Chicago!

My good pals Tal Nadari (Bols), Katie Darling (Bols), and Debbie Rizzo (of DRinkPR) are busy bees right now.  Our favorite Dutch Genever is growing by leaps and bounds, and I couldn’t be more excited and proud of them. 

In fact, in honor of this extravaganza, I’ve spent most of the afternoon in my test kitchen working on a non-Bols-Genever project and using Bols Genever as an ingredient.  I’ve come up with a real nice one.  It’s flavorful, seasonal, and packs a nice punch.  Sorry gang, can’t divulge exact ingredients at this point, but stay tuned and you may just get the recipe so you can try it out at home.

Tal Nadari.  Name sound familiar?  I blogged about a Bitter Truth/Bols Genever event that occurred not too long ago at The Clover Club: http://thecocktailguru.wordpress.com/2009/02/21/the-bitter-truth-of-it-all/  Tal’s a great brand rep and an all-around top notch bloke.  Katie Darling, Bols Genever brand amabassador, is not so bad herself.  Originally hailing from San Francisco, Katie joined the ranks of the NYC bar scene at the beginning of this year, and is doing just fine thank you.  She is a proud member of the USBG NY chapter, and is always a pleasure to spend time with.

Enough chit-chat.  Let’s get down to business here.  All you industry and media cats out there in Boston – listen up!

BOLS GENEVER BOSTON LAUNCH

(courtesy: Bols Genever)

Save the Date to Taste the Past

Back in the 19th century, two important developments came together in the world of bartending.  They made a perfect match until the 1920s, when they were mysteriously separated.  We invite you to this overdue reunion, as we journey back to the past with our special guests to rediscover what made this match so special.

WHEN: August 19, 2009 2pm

WHERE: DRINK, 348 Congress St., Boston

Please plan for an afternoon of celebration with food and drinks.

Best regards,

Tal Nadari (Lucas Bols)

& Debbie Rizzo (DRinkPR)

Please RSVP

(bartenders) talnadari@lucasbols.com

(press) darizzo@gmail.com

Welcome to those who have just followed the link from my newsletter…

“Tis the time for summer barbecues and summer cocktails. 

Here are some pics from a recent BBQ I attended (more specifically, it was my sister-in-law’s birthday).  Along with these pics, you’ll also find a little cocktail recipe for a drink that I was making that afternoon/evening.  I cannot say that I am the one that came up with the idea.  A good pal, Anne Gray, brought the ingredients with the intention of putting me to work.  She asked for a margarita variation using serrano pepper and cilantro, and a margarita using serrano pepper and cilantro did I give to her.

Serrantro Margarita

1 1/2 oz. Lunazul Reposado Tequila

1/2 oz. Cointreau

1/2 oz. fresh lime juice

1/2 oz. agave syrup (1:1 agave nectar:water)

handful of cilantro leaves

1 round slice of serrano pepper

Directions: In a  mixing glass, muddle the pepper and cilantro in the lime and syrup.  Then add remaining ingredients with ice and shake well.  Strain over ice into a highball glass w/ optional salt rim.

Garnish: lime wedge

*This can easily be batched up to serve multiple people.  Just do a little math and increase the proportions accordingly.  For more specific instructions, just shoot me an email.

For those of you who are of the independent nature, then your natural spirits and liqueurs of choice would be those that are made by independent producers.  Last month, Touch in NYC hosted the Indy Spirits Expo.  I had the pleasure of working for Square One Organic Vodka this day, and you can’t get more boutique and indy than Square One.  Made from organic rye harvested from the fields of Idaho, this brand is headquartered just outside of San Francisco, and their brand ambassador, H. Joseph Ehrman (of Elixir SF), is  one of America’s best barmen.

I had free reign over one of the bars at Touch.  I took full advantage and mixed up some great drinks (if I do say so meself.)  I’ve included the recipes below.  Please make sure you check out the Square One website: www.squareonevodka.com.  You can buy it at Astor Wines and Spirits in NYC.

Square One Botanical Basil Gimlet

(Square One Botanical is the brand’s newest bottling.  It includes nearly a dozen different botanicals, many of which are in today’s new age gins.  It’s not a flavored vodka, and it’s not a gin.  It’s a unique spirit that is barrels of fun when blending cocktails.)

1 1/2 oz. Square One Botanical

3/4 oz. fresh lime juice

3/4 oz. agave syrup (equal parts agave nectar and water)

3 large basil leaves

Directions: Press the basil leaves in between palms of your hands, then place into mixing glass.  Add remaining ingredients with ice and shake well.  Strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Garnish: floating basil leaf

The Vanderbilt Avenue Martini

(this cocktail was created by me and is served at The Campbell Apartment Terrace in NYC)

1 oz. Square One Organic Cucumber Vodka

1/2 oz. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur

3/4 oz. pineapple juice

2 sage leaves

Directions: Slap 1 of the sage leaves in the palms of your hands and place into mixing glass.  Add remaining ingredients (except for last sage leaf) with ice and shake well.  Strain into chilled cocktail glass with *vanilla-infused cane sugar rim.

Garnish: 1 floating sage leaf

*to make vanilla-infused cane sugar: place 1 vanilla bean, sliced open, inside 1 mason jar full of sugar in the raw.  Allow to infuse for 24 hrs or until desired flavor.